In the last two decades, Senegal has produced several musical superstars, including Youssou N’Dour, Ismael Lo and Baaba Maal. Maal, who performed at Friday night’s opening concert of the 12th African Festival of the Arts in Washington Park, has been one of the most successful West African musicians at blending traditional African instrumentation and singing styles with European and American musical technology and instrumental textures.
Maal was not born into a Griot family (which is usually a prerequisite for a musical career in Senegal), but his determination, talent, and inspiration from his parents ultimately won him musical scholarships in Senegal’s capital of Dakar and in Paris. Maal’s name may not be a household word in the United States, but he is a bona fide phenomenon in Europe and Africa. Although Maal attracted a large crowd Friday night, his drawing power overseas is such that he can handily fill large auditoriums.
Maal, who looked positively regal in his flowing white robes, fronted his 10 piece Voice of the People Band with authority and a refreshing lack of ego. Certainly his songs and commanding vocals were the center point of the hourlong performance, but Maal gave each of his immensely talented bandmates at least one solo stint.
Like his music, the instrumentation in Maal’s band handily blends the ancient and the modern. His four percussionists include two musicians playing traditional upright conga drums, one playing a regular American trap set and Massamba Diop’s expressive talking drum. On the quieter numbers, the melodic textures were dominated by Kauding Cissokho’s kora, the richly toned, 21-string instrument that appears to be the African precursor of the banjo. However, the guitar, bass, and synthesizers came to the fore on the louder numbers, such as the rock-tinged raveup that closed the show.
Maal’s own music guru, griot Mansour Seck, provided a rich vocal foil for the bandleader’s distinctive tenor. At one point, Maal picked up an acoustic guitar and he and Seck performed a moving duet on the lilting “Yoolelle Maman,” a gentle ballad Maal learned from his grandmother. A bit later, Maal did a duet on “Fanta” with powerhouse, 19-year-old vocalist Cisse Karoite.
Maal’s show was a visual as well as a musical treat, largely thanks to the amazing, sometimes comical, dancing of Sergane Dhouf and Ndiaw Samb. Although Maal cut a relatively reserved figure for most of the show, a couple of times during the show he put on a stunning display of dancing and athletic high stepping of his own.
Although Maal mostly sang in his native language, his uplifting messages of empowerment crossed the language barrier. The African Festival of the Arts has scheduled an impressive array of musicians during its four day run, but few could encapsulate the rich artistic heritage and immense promise of Africa’s music as effectively as Maal and his bandmates.
